


Snapshots in Serendipity

by airamcg



Series: the things we lost and the things we found [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Missing Scene, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-17
Updated: 2014-12-30
Packaged: 2017-12-26 20:58:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/970216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airamcg/pseuds/airamcg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>When Hermione Granger first saw Luna Lovegood, she didn't realize she had found what she was looking for. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Luna, on the other hand, was fairly certain of what she was looking for. She just chose to take her time in getting it. </i>
</p><p>*</p><p>A series of snapshots set in (and out of) the Hogwarts Library on how Hermione and Luna developed their intimate relationship through their school years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Recto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _When Hermione Granger first saw Luna Lovegood, she didn't realize she had found what she was looking for._

 

 

_"I am a firm believer in serendipity--_  
_all the random pieces coming together_  
_in one wonderful moment,_  
_when suddenly you see_  
_what their purpose was all along."_

(David Levithan)

 

* * *

 

 

**I.**

When Hermione first saw her, she didn't realize she had found what she was looking for. All she saw was a pasty first year curled fast asleep in the only corner of the library that got a decent amount of sunlight. It took some investigating before Hermione learned that the big musty book snug in the arms of that first year-- a Ravenclaw, she deduced from the scarf peeking under straggly blonde hair-- was Hogwarts' only copy of _Naturalis Historia_.

Hermione was peeved. There was no reason a first year would bother with such advanced reading, even among Ravenclaws. The only conclusion for the selection would be the soft leather bound cover that the aforementioned first year was now drooling on. The nerve of her! Hermione stormed off, and mellowed only when she found more comprehensive books on dangerous magical creatures.

 

**II.**

Hermione was starting to have doubts on her decision. But no, she had to be firm. She did the right thing, and Ron and Harry would understand it was for the best soon enough, after they got over their initial anger. It was always better to be safe than dead.

She trudged to the library, her backpack full of books and nearly bursting at the seams. There were better uses for her time than waiting for friends who wouldn't even look at her. It was a hectic year, after all.

"Hello."

The greeting came from a vaguely familiar Ravenclaw standing beside the library door. Dirty blonde hair, pale skin and grey eyes contributed to an overall ethereal image. The red radish earrings she wore provided a nice contrast though.

"Er, hi?" Hermione shifted the weight of her backpack. Her shoulders were starting to ache.

"Can you spare a moment?” The girl held a piece of parchment attached to a clipboard. “I am running a signature campaign regarding the library’s policies."

Hermione perked up upon hearing _signature campaign_ and _library_ in the same sentence. “Oooh. What about, specifically?”

"Well, the serials collection is hardly balanced. They only have The Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly, but there are other much more informative periodicals."

"That's true. I've always wanted to have Transfiguration Today in circulation. I don't understand why Professor McGonagall keeps it strictly for staff only."

The girl offered the clipboard with a serene smile Hermione couldn’t help returning.

"Would you like to sign?"

Of course Hermione, being Hermione, made sure she had skim through the whole petition before anything else. But after catching snippets of "broadening the range of the serials collection," "student access to academic journals," and "inclusion of magazine titles that provide an in-depth look of the current wizarding society," she reckoned the cause was reasonable enough. She jotted down her name underneath a “Luna Lovegood.”

“Thank you very much,” said the girl, her smile wider and brighter. For some reason, that had Hermione dashing through the library door, cursing the lack of time for her Muggle Studies essay and the sudden heat on her cheeks.

 

**III.**

_Other girls are annoying_ , thought Hermione. Ever since Viktor Krum had stepped foot on Hogwarts, she never had a quiet day in the library. Not that she blamed him, of course. He probably only wanted to read in peace, but his fans never left him alone.

A gaggle of girls prowled the shelves behind her, giggling loudly and casting surreptitious glances at the burly Quidditch player seated at the farthest corner from where they were. Hermione slammed her _Standard Book of Spells Grade 4_ shut and rested her head on it. If only she could cast a wide-area Silencing Charm on them. It was a pity she hadn’t reached that topic in her bedtime reading yet.

The door creaked open and a lithe Ravenclaw girl drifted in as if carried by a breeze. Her waist-length hair flowed with each movement. She had her wand stuck behind her ear, and Hermione couldn’t fathom how that was even possible without a Sticking Charm ruining her hair. The girl plucked the latest issue of The Quibbler from the magazine rack and headed for the farthest corner, the very same seat beside Viktor Krum. The outrage from the girls behind Hermione was deafening.

“SHUSH!”

Apparently, Madam Pince’s voice was more effective than the most powerful Silencing Charm. That didn’t stop the menacing aura emanating from the girls, however. Curious, Hermione straightened up to see how the Ravenclaw was taking in this whole spectacle.

Eyes met.

She was staring at Hermione’s direction over her upside down magazine. They held each other’s gazes for a while, until eventually the girl blinked a few times and brought her attention back to the magazine she was now tilting left and right.

_Well at least there’s someone else who didn’t come here to gawk at Quidditch celebrities._

Hermione opened her book to resume studying, a small smile playing on her lips.

 

**IV.**

[ _3 weeks before OWLs._ ]

The library was half-full of Ravenclaws and Hermione bemoaning her late start in exam revisions. Luna Lovegood sat at her usual distant corner, engrossed in The Quibbler while twirling her wand with her left hand.

 

[ _2 weeks before OWLs._ ]

There was a steady rise to the number of Ravenclaws, fifth years, and seventh years entering the library. Terry Boot had attached himself to Luna Lovegood’s usual seat because it was near all the Potions books needed for OWLs. This left Luna drifting from seat to different seat each day. Hermione noticed. It was hard to miss that shade of blonde in a crowd.

 

[ _1 week before OWLs._ ]

Hermione pulled on her bushy hair. She couldn’t for the life of her remember the name of the goblin commander who defeated the wizards in some obscure battle during the Goblin Wars. It was lunch time. But with the possibility of failing History of Magic looming over her, she scarfed down her food in one go then sprinted for the library.

Along the way, she crashed into Luna, scattering the differently colored sheets of paper the fourth year was carrying. She couldn’t remember if she had apologized properly or not, but she was sure she flicked her wand to help gather them up for the Ravenclaw.

 

[ _3 days before OWLs._ ]

“Would it be all right to sit with you, Hermione?”

“What?!” snapped Hermione, startled. When she saw who was talking to her, she tried to smile but it felt strained. “Oh, Luna. Sure.”

Luna settled beside her, The Quibbler in hand as always. Hermione briefly wondered if Luna reads anything besides that ridiculous magazine. When does she study for exams? Does she even study at all? Hermione eventually decided that that train of thought was not worth her time at the moment, and went back to her Charms revisions.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed by the time Luna stood up and dropped something into Hermione’s field of vision. It was a coin, silver and smooth but closer in size to a Galleon than a Sickle. It looked like the moon.

“For good luck,” Luna explained. “It keeps Wrackspurts from making your brain fuzzy during exams.”

Before Hermione could thank her or give it back, Luna had already left.

 

[ _The end of the school year._ ]

Hermione found a sizable package at the foot of her bed. There was no card, no note, nothing on who could have sent it. After the mess in the Ministry of Magic, Hermione had learned to treat everything with suspicion, but her curiosity got the better of her this time. She prodded it with her wand and the brown packing paper shrivelled up on its own.

It was a paper diorama of the Room of Requirement with little origami DA members walking about and miming spell practice. Little paper Hermione saw her watching, and gestured to the little paper versions of her friends Ron, Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Together, they mimed casting a Patronus and a message appeared from their little paper wands:

“Happy Hols! Always take care!”

 

**Interlude.**

“Damn that Ronald Weasley!”

Hermione banged her fist against the wall and sobbed. The tiles of the girls’ bathroom felt freezing against her skin and through her school robes. Maybe the cold had reached her insides too, because her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. She crumpled to the floor and hugged her knees. _Damn you, Ron!_

“Hello?” An airy voice echoed in the bathroom. Luna Lovegood. What horrible timing. Hermione scrambled to the nearest stall, unfortunately one that was missing its door. She searched for her wand to fix it, but then realized she had left the blasted thing in the Transfiguration classroom along with the rest of her stuff. Her palm flew to her forehead and she silently wished Luna would leave soon. She couldn’t deal with her friend’s wacky notions at the moment.

The sound of footsteps drew closer to her stall. Sighing, Hermione decided to face her doom and just get it over with. She turned around the same time Luna reached the doorway of her stall.

"Oh.” Luna seemed surprised for a moment, but then relaxed into her usual serene smile. ”Hello, Hermione."

"H-hi,” choked Hermione. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Hi, Luna."

“This one has no door,” said Luna in her matter-of-factly way, her grey eyes wandering to the corners of the place, only occasionally flicking back to Hermione. “You should use another stall.”

“I know. I mean, I will.”

Hermione waited for Luna to step out of the way, but the other girl seemed to have no inclination to move. After a while, Hermione gave up on leaving at all. She sat down on the toilet and buried her face in her hands. It was bad enough that tears were threatening to pour out again; Luna just had to be difficult.

She heard the Ravenclaw muttering under her breath and suspected she was trying to communicate with Wrackspurts or Nargles or some other imaginary creature that would make girls cry in the bathroom. It was a minuscule bit of comfort that Luna would never shriek at her miseries, at least not like how Moaning Myrtle would.

Something cold and hard pressed on the back of Hermione’s hand and she jumped to her feet, ready to bolt. There was no reason to be alarmed though. Luna was just offering her a goblet filled with a clear liquid.

"'A glassful of water for the heart's rainy weather,' my mother used to say. It helps me every time I feel the need to cry until my chest hurts,” Luna explained pleasantly, as if describing a curiously shaped cloud. She then considered the object in her hands. “This is a pewter goblet though. I find Conjuring glass tricky, and you need this right now."

Hermione didn’t know what to make out of the current situation: apparently, Luna was trying to comfort her, and had just revealed something Hermione wasn’t sure she should have heard. She stared at the other girl, who was staring back with her head tilted slightly to the right. She eventually decided to accept the goblet and venture a sip.

The water tasted cool and eased a burning in her mouth she didn’t realize was there. Strangely, its coolness brought some heat back to her insides. By the time she finished the gobletful, her hands have stopped shaking and she did indeed feel a bit better.

"Luna, I...” She looked at the younger girl, lost for words. Should she tell her what happened and why she was here? Hermione didn’t feel entirely comfortable with that, but maybe Luna would understand. “Um, about this... this is..."

"You don't need to explain if you don’t want to, Hermione,” cut in Luna. She reached out to the Gryffindor, thin fingers sweeping brown locks away from her friend’s eyes then tucking it behind the ear. “But I’ll listen if you do. I don’t really mind either way, as long as you feel better."

Hermione closed her eyes. Warmth from where Luna had touched her face spread to her chest and reached all the way to her own clammy fingertips. For the first time in a while, Hermione smiled. There were only two words she had to tell her friend:

"Thank you."

 

**V.**

The library was fairly crowded, considering it was the second week of February. Well some did come around to snog in the less visible parts of the room, but Hermione couldn’t care less about that. She was tucked away in a corner, head on both hands and fully immersed in Golpalott’s Third Law.

“‘The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components,’” she droned to herself. “So basically, it should be more than the sum of its parts.”

“That makes sense. Mixed poisons are more effective than their separate components.”

Hermione yelped and nearly fell from her seat.

Luna Lovegood was bent over her shoulder, peering at the book in front of them. She must have sneaked up on Hermione and the older girl didn’t like the way the younger pursed her lips, certain it was hiding laughter. Luna then proceeded to clear the seat beside the Gryffindor, moving the book bag and rolls of parchment onto the table as if she had every right to do so. Hermione opened her mouth to complain, but settled for silently rolling her eyes.

They eventually lost themselves in their own books-- _Advanced Potions Making_ for Hermione and _Lifetimes in the Sky: A Study in Astrology_ for Luna. Hermione was surprised, and not-so-surprised, at her friend’s choice of reading material. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense for Luna to be taking up Divination; so Hermione didn’t say anything. For the next hour or so, the only sounds that passed between them were the occasional rustling of parchment or scratching of quill.

Hermione was scribbling a particularly important point on natural antidotes versus concocted potions when her right hand bumped against something warm and bony-- Luna’s writing hand. Heat crept under her bushy hair as she raised her head, ready to apologize. But Luna simply smiled, set down her quill on the table, and turned her left hand palm up. Hermione blinked a few times at her friend’s palm, puzzling over what could Luna possibly be asking for.

And then it hit her-- Luna wasn’t asking for anything, but rather offering something. She swiftly turned back to her Potions lesson to try and ignore the gesture, but the words won’t enter her mind no matter how long she stared at the book. Sighing, she dropped her quill in an inkpot and rested her right palm on top of Luna’s waiting one, their fingers interlacing as if it was the most natural thing to do. She dared a glance at the other girl and saw Luna watching her, grey eyes shining warmly. Hermione couldn’t help smiling back.

It was like flying home.

 

 

 


	2. Verso

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Luna, on the other hand, was fairly certain of what she was looking for. She just chose to take her time in getting it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long. Real life sucks like that. Anyway, enjoy!

 

 **V.**  

Luna was fairly certain of what she was looking for; she just chose to take her time in getting it. OWLs were still a week away after all. She could get by well enough with cramming the night before exams. That was why upon entering the library, her hand drifted to the latest issue of The Quibbler almost out of habit, but an Astrology book under New Acquisitions changed her mind.

She was about to head for her usual spot when she spotted Hermione already there, mumbling to herself as if in a trance.

“‘The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components,’” she droned, her face scrunched up in concentration. “So basically, it should be more than the sum of its parts.”

Curious, Luna peered over the other girl’s shoulder and saw a NEWT-level Potions book opened at the chapter on Poisons and Antidotes. She’d read about Golpalott’s Third Law before, when she helped her father research the merits of Gurdyroot against naturally-occurring poisons in gourmet food. The article that resulted was fairly well-received, and she and her father had started taking Gurdyroot tea with their meals since.

Luna leaned closer. “That makes sense. Mixed poisons are more effective than their separate components.”

Hermione jumped and almost fell off her seat. It was rare to see the genius witch so flustered that Luna had a hard time suppressing a giggle. This earned her a scowl from the said genius. A scowl that turned into a full-on glower when Luna emptied the seat next to her. Luna merely replied with a cheeky grin, plopped down the seat, and started on her book.

 _Lifetimes in the Sky_ was an interesting read on divining the compatibility of an individual born under a certain sign, at least in terms of career and relationships. Luna immediately understood why it found a place in the library. Its explanations of the complex intricacies of Divination were concise and easy to digest for fresh learners of the art. Her eyes devoured page after page. Soon enough, she was halfway through the book when one passage in particular caught her attention:

> _When Virgo and Pisces join together in love, the result would be truly magical. As two Signs that lie opposite of each other within the Zodiac, they tend to have qualities that are complementary and thus create a harmonious relationship between them._

Luna reread it a few more times, a smile playing on her lips. Then she took out an Auto-Ink, No-Drip Quill and a piece of parchment so she could jot it down for future reference. Her hand, however, suddenly swerved while she was writing and her quill made a sizable line right under “relationship.” Amused at this turn of events, she peeked through her bangs at the perpetrator.

Hermione seemed to be hemming and hawing about the mishap, which was impossibly cute of her. Luna’s lips curled into a smile as she offered her left hand to say no harm done. That gesture just made Hermione even more flustered, though. Luna watched and waited as the other girl’s hand uncertainly twitched towards the book bag, then the Potions book, before eventually deciding to drop the quill it held.

Hesitant, ink-stained fingers threaded between thin, pale ones until they fit each other perfectly. Something electric coursed from the connection of their hands, surging until it reached Luna’s skipping heart, and then a sense of warmth enveloped her whole body.

Luna let out a soft, content sigh.

This was falling.

 

 **IV.**  

There was something magical in being alone, surrounded only by sources of knowledge in all corners. It was for that reason that, besides meals and classes, Luna spent every waking minute-- and perhaps a lot of sleeping ones, too--in the library. It helped that everyone was expected to behave there. Ravenclaw intra-House rivalries often got way out of hand, but there was a solid unspoken truce within those tome-lined walls.

She plucked last month’s issue of The Quibbler from a magazine rack as soon as she entered. It was the third time her personal copy went missing this week, though she reckoned the Nargles would get tired of their game soon. She didn’t mind losing her possessions; they were just things after all, and everything would find their way home eventually. It was just rather inconvenient whenever she had essays to write, but even then she always found what she needed in the library.

“Would it be all right to sit with you, Hermione?” Luna asked without preamble. Everywhere else was full, and she liked being around the older girl.

“What?!” Bushy locks shook as Hermione’s head snapped up from her revision notes. For a moment, she seemed confused as to where she was, but smiled as soon as she saw who interrupted her. “Oh, Luna. Sure.”

Luna took the seat next to her, then opened The Quibbler to the latest findings on the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. Strangely, she couldn’t seem to move beyond the first paragraph. Ten minutes in, and she still couldn’t absorb a word from the article. It was not the fault of the print though, for it was readable enough. Nor was it the fault of the article itself, which was worded in the plain and casual language The Quibbler always used.

Sighing, Luna propped her elbow on the table and her chin on her palm. She let her gaze drift across the room. Boys and girls of different ages and different houses were settled all over the study area-- reading books, discussing lessons, or maybe gossiping in voices low enough for Madam Pince to ignore. A hundred faces on a hundred students, and yet Luna didn’t feel any particular attachment to any of them.

Luna liked being alone, but that didn’t mean she never got lonely.

That was why she loved the DA. It was a simple gathering of people who did things together. Sure, it was all about learning defensive spells away from Professor Umbridge’s toad-like nose, and everyone didn’t always get along all that well; but being there, surrounded by her peers outside the classroom or dorms... It felt like having friends. That was nice in itself.

Hermione was a different story, though. Despite their differences and occasional clashing, Luna liked Hermione. She felt familiar, but it wasn't the familiarity stemming from attending the same school together for the past four years. Rather, it was something more intrinsic, primal even, to the spirit. Like when you meet someone for the first time and you just _know_ in your heart that you’ve met before or will meet again, in a previous life or the next.

It was inexplicable, but somehow it made sense.

Luna’s eyes eventually settled on the girl beside her. Hermione's face was all crumpled and worried, most likely from pre-OWL stress chipping away at her sanity. That, or she had contracted some Wrackspurts from the Herbology shelves earlier. Either way, Luna couldn’t look at that expression and not do anything about it.

She patted the space a little left to her chest bone. Her mother had given her a pendant when she was a child, a charm of sorts to keep her calm whenever she felt anxious. Luna never wore it on a chain. Instead she kept it in her breast pocket, close to her heart. She daintily took it out and thumbed its silver surface, which always seemed to reflect the phases of the moon.

She glanced at Hermione once more. The older girl was gripping at her hair with both hands and looking very much like she was at her wit’s end. Luna decided it might be best to give her less distractions, but not without leaving something that she wholeheartedly believed could help.

Luna dropped her mother’s charm in front of Hermione.

“For good luck.”

And then she left the library, wondering why her skin felt a tad too warm.

 

**III.**

There was a tenseness in the air when Luna entered the library, thick enough that she could almost taste it. Curious, but not enough to warrant an investigation, she decided to head to the serials rack, grab the latest copy of The Quibbler, and head for her favorite corner of the library.

A surly-looking boy in a different uniform was already there, his nose buried in a book on cross-species transfiguration. His presence didn’t matter to Luna, however. There were more important things that needed her attention, like the new breakthrough about the Blibbering Humdinger her father mentioned in one of his letters. So she sat down beside the boy and turned to page 23, ignoring the sudden electrifying atmosphere.

“SHUSH!”

A heavy silence fell on the room as it emptied of the hushed voices Luna didn’t realize were there until they had stopped. She glanced up from her upside-down magazine in time to see Madam Pince glaring at the shelves and the moving shadows behind them. A little ways from the librarian was a familiar Gryffindor staring at Luna.

Hermione Granger.

She seemed as surprised as Luna was, and perhaps a little confused if the way her eyebrows quirked was any indication. Luna observed her for as long as she could until an uncertain heat crept to her cheeks and she lowered her gaze back to the magazine.

Hermione Granger didn’t recognize her, Luna was certain.

But that was all right.

She would remember later, perhaps.

**II.**

Just down the hall was a girl with frizzy coffee-brown hair and a book bag so full that it seemed right about to burst. She walked as if fighting through tangled jungle vines, each step labored but strong, as she headed towards the library doors. Luna found it all immensely fascinating and couldn't tear her eyes away from her, even when she remembered that staring was rude and possibly unnerving. As such, the other girl-- a Gryffindor, she noted from the red and gold tie-- didn't even notice. So Luna squared her shoulders and gripped the clipboard closer to her chest.

"Hello," greeted Luna.

“Er, hi?” The girl seemed unsure what to do next, so Luna decided to help her out.

“Can you spare a moment? I am running a signature campaign regarding the library’s policies."

At that, the girl visibly brightened, the creases between her brows melting away as they discussed the campaign further. It seemed they were on the same page, which was a first for Luna. Most children believed her to be strange, as if they weren’t strange themselves. But this girl had understood and seemed receptive to her cause. That made Luna immensely happy that her cheeks ached from how wide her smile had become.

“Would you like to sign?”

As the girl perused the terms of the campaign, Luna busied herself by studying her potential signee. Like the way her wavy locks cascaded past her slightly hunched shoulders. Or how her eyes held an intense fire to them as she read, her lower lip jutting out a tad from how tightly her mouth pursed...

Soon, the girl happily handed the clipboard back. But when Luna thanked her with a smile, she hurried through the library door as if she had a two-headed dog snapping at her heels. Luna watched her retreating back, wondering what could’ve caused the sudden change in demeanor; but eventually decided she would probably never find out the reason. Shrugging, she checked the parchment on the clipboard.

Underneath her own loopy signature was another name written in a neat, roundish script:

Hermione Granger.

Luna knew of her, of course. She would occasionally hear the Gryffindors in her year talk about Harry Potter’s girl friend, and Ravenclaw’s rumor mill was never idle about worthy rivals from other Houses. She had heard about a know-it-all busybody who rode on the fame of The Boy Who Lived to get top marks. But of course, information gleaned from the grapevine tended to lend itself to a lot of problems.

So, yes, Luna knew of her, but she wasn’t quite what Luna had expected.

She stared through the still ajar doors of the library, imagining she could see past the thick stone walls to where a girl with frazzled hair and fiery eyes was hunched over thick dusty old tomes to do her homework. Luna couldn’t help smiling at the thought.

_She’s probably someone I could like._

**I.**

When Luna plucked _Naturalis Historia_ from the shelves, she didn’t know what she was getting into. Well, she‘d heard of the book from her father before. It had Pliny the Elder‘s scientific findings on creatures thought to be mythical or imaginary during his time. The mere idea of finally getting a chance to read it excited her to no end, but no one had warned her about the tiny, almost illegible script and the too complicated words for an eleven-year-old, even if she was clever enough for Ravenclaw House.

But Luna, ever the aspiring Magizoologist, still tried to decipher at least a few entries. She seated herself in a part of the library that received a lot of natural light and then started poring over the book’s musty pages.

_Cynocephalus..._

_Sciapod..._

_Basilisk..._

The day seemed to be against her mission as well. A breeze would occasionally drift in and play with her hair. A few birds perched on the rafters would chirp pleasant songs every now and then. Sunbeams shining through the window had softened the lighting of the whole library and soon, Luna felt her eyelids drooping.

 _What a beautiful day_ , thought Luna. _Something good will happen, perhaps._

And so, she drifted off to sleep-- a small smile on her lips, and a heavy book tucked in her arms.

 

**Da Capo.**

When Hermione Granger first saw Luna Lovegood, she didn't realize she had found what she was looking for.

Luna, on the other hand, was fairly certain of what she was looking for. She just chose to take her time in getting it.

 

*

Luna sighed and put the nib of her quill in between her lips. She was writing a paper for the International Journal of Magizoology, but had gotten stuck on how to word her findings. The parchment in front of her was covered in more crossmarks and strikeouts than readable sentences-- the result of the past two hours. Frowning, she rested her chin on both her hands and nibbled on the quill, causing the feathery end to wave up and down.

She glanced at the clock to her left. It had two hands, both pointing at Time for Bed. She didn’t realize it was this late already. Sure enough, when she glanced to her right, Hermione had her cheek pressed on the Magical Law tome she was supposed to be studying, soft snores leaving her partly opened mouth.

Luna couldn’t help smiling at the sight.

“Wake up, ‘Mione. You’ll get words on your face.” She poked her quill on the other woman's shoulder, but Hermione just smacked her lips a few times and rubbed her face on the book pages. Luna giggled. “Oh, you.”

She stood up and positioned herself behind Hermione’s chair. The plan was to jolt her awake then force her to bed, but Luna paused when she caught sight of Hermione’s arm.

It had been years since the war; most of their wounds had already healed or were buried under much happier memories. But then and there, underneath the bright muggle reading light, Luna could clearly see the thin lines defacing her friend’s arm.

Mudblood.

It had been years since the war, but ending it was the easy part. The new Ministry of Magic’s policies may be taking huge strides into improving muggle-magic relations, but it was hardly enough to undo centuries of ignorance and condescension. People tended to be resilient to anything, after all, including change. Hermione had been working god-awful hours ‘round the clock to help make the transition better, as evidenced by the increasing number of wrinkles between her brows, dark circles under her eyes, and too many callouses on her inky fingers.

Luna lightly traced the letters on Hermione’s arm, wishing the caress could erase all the scars they hid in plain sight or otherwise. With her other hand, she smoothed out the tension between Hermione’s shoulders until she couldn’t take it anymore and pulled the other woman into her arms. The embrace caused the sleeping one to stir.

“Hrmf?” Hermione tried to rub her eyes, but that proved difficult with her friend draped all over her. “Luna?”

“It’s time for bed,” whispered Luna into the frizzy brown hair, her voice a tad huskier than usual. “And you have Magical Law all over your cheek.”

“What?!” Hermione bolted up, the back of her head hitting Luna’s nose. She frantically examined the papers and tomes she had on her desk while Luna stepped back and watched, biting a thumb to try to suppress her giggling.

“The pages are all crinkled!” Hermione sounded completely horrified, which was simply too much for Luna. She exploded in laughter, doubling over and clutching her stomach. Hermione crossed her arms and scowled throughout the whole barrage, which lasted for a full five minutes and it took another five before Luna regained some semblance of composure afterwards.

Later on, after exchanges of good-natured teasing and swatting responses had died down, and after they had each finished their nightly preparations, Luna stood beside a twin-sized bed while Hermione was yawning under its covers. Thin, pale hands smoothed the comforter over her shoulders and rearranged her bushy mane so it wouldn’t get in the way.

“I don’t need to be tucked in every night, you know.” It was made to sound admonishing, but Hermione’s grin betrayed her delight.

“Of course you don’t,” said Luna, brushing a few locks away from Hermione’s eyes. “But we both know you want me to...”

“And you want to,” Hermione finished for her. Luna smiled pleasantly.

“Well, have a good night.”

Luna turned towards her own bed across the room, but Hermione’s hand shot out from under the comforter and grabbed her at the wrist. Luna looked over her shoulder, a raised eyebrow putting out a question.

“It’s cold, so...” Hermione patted the remaining space in her bed with her other hand. There wasn’t enough space for two people, not really. But that didn’t matter.

“Scoot over, then.”

They settled right in, arms wrapping around each other and feet gathering into a little bundle under the covers. Hermione nuzzled against the crook of Luna’s neck, eliciting a satisfied hum from her. Meanwhile, Luna gently tugged at Hermione until their bodies were unmistakably brushing against each other. She loved how their bodies fit together.

“Good night, Luna.”

Hermione tilted her head up, just enough to plant a kiss on Luna’s chin.

“Good night, Hermione.”

Luna pressed her lips on Hermione’s forehead, some brown strands tickling her nose.

And so, they drifted off to sleep.

People say there’s a place where one could feel infinitely safe, where there’s enough warmth against the cold, where everything feels soft and comforting despite this harsh world we live in.

For Hermione and Luna, they had found such a place in each other’s arms.

\-- a place where they belonged.

 

 

 

**END.**


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